Official Guide To Living In The City Of Puyallup

Puyallup Farmers Market

The Puyallup Farmers Market is one of the best places to get fresh organic vegetables.

If you like fresh organic grown vegetables and fruit then you need to check out the Puyallup Farmers Market which is another attraction that you just can’t miss. I usually go for the food, however, they have crafts and music as well. You’ll find the Farmers Market right in Pioneer Park. The same park where Ezra Meeker’s statue and cabin once stood.

2015 Season

The 2015 season starts in April and runs through mid-October – every Saturday from 9 am until 2 pm at the Pioneer Park and Pavilion. In the same area you’ll find the Puyallup Public Library and concert stage. If you want to sell your vegetables you will need to get a 2015 market application which can be found on the Become a Vendor page.

Sponsored by Sound Family Medicine

The present farmer’s market sponsor is Sound Family Medicine whose generosity helps to make this event possible.

Something new

This year a midweek market is being opened. The Puyallup Main Street Association or PMSA is going to launch a Sunset Market on Wednesday evening’s downtown beginning on May 29th with the market hours being 3 pm to 7 pm.

Coordinator

Shawn Edwards who is the PMSA coordinator for the farmers’ market said that this market will have a very different feel to it than the market on Saturdays and they are hoping families will make an evening of it. Families will be able to walk around, grab a bite to eat, do the shopping and then sit on the lawn and enjoy some music.

The Sunset Market will not be as large as Saturday market, with a cap of only 60 vendor booths being available. The focus on this evening market will be on the fresh produce and food with less on arts and crafters. Another change will be that the Sunset Market will be completely outside, not in the Pioneer Park Pavilion. If you are worried about the weather, the market’s frame of time from the end of May through August captures the best summer evenings of the year. Dogs are welcome on a leash of course.

Make a family event

Anyone who lives near the Puyallup downtown area knows that the downtown corridor is extremely busy with train services and commuters at this time of day and these are the people they are hoping to capture the interest of while making their way home.

They have asked that you ‘like’ the PMSA Sunset Market on Facebook and come for all the downtown fun on Wednesdays beginning on the 29th of May and running through the 28th Aug. this first summer.

Federal Food Assistance benefits

While farmers markets are everywhere and are known for the seasonality, freshness and high quality of the food brought by the farmers there is a segment of our community that do not know about these activities so more and more markets are trying to ensure that this tasty and healthy food is available to everyone regardless of income.

The WSFMA (Washington State Farmers Market Association) is currently working with markets across the state to help expand farmers’ and markets’ abilities to sell food to low income shoppers by letting them use their federal food assistance benefits. Often those who have the most need for fresh products are the very ones who can less afford it.

Resources

Operating a farmers market is one tough job in America and it requires multitude of skills that don’t come naturally to all people and little education is available to get the training that is needed. Being a member of the WSFMA can help as they strive to provide many valuable resources to help its Member Markets. Many of these tools are on their website and can be very valuable.